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The Sorting Pen: Will GMO outrage fade like tractor outrage did?
Weather Dec 11th 2019 - 5pm
Northern Minnesota township coldest place in the US
Community May 24th 2011 - 4pm
Hospital holds open house for new cancer center
Energy and Mining Jan 17th 2020 - 7pm
Investigations: Seat belt not worn in fatal mine crash
City to focus on sales tax at 2020 session
Proceeds from tax would help with water projects, Sanford Center improvements.
Written By: Matthew J. Liedke | Jan 14th 2020 - 2pm.
Bemidji City Hall. Pioneer file photo
BEMIDJI -- In order to support improvements to water infrastructure and capital needs at the Sanford Center, the city of Bemidji will approach the Legislature in 2020 with the hope of authorizing a sales tax.
For the past several months, the City Council has been exploring the need for a special use tax, such as a sales tax or a hospitality tax. Initially, both types of taxes were seen as viable to propose this session. However, on Monday, the council narrowed its scope to a sales tax.
A 1% sales tax would generate roughly $5 million, while a 1/2% sales tax would create $2.6 million. For a sales tax to be implemented, it needs both approval by the Legislature and by the public through a referendum.
To make it through the Legislature, though, a sales tax proposal needs to be included in a tax bill. While this year isn't a traditional tax bill year, representatives with the city's consultant, Bradley Peterson of Flaherty and Hood, said a bill is still likely in 2020.
"Based on conversations with the House Tax Chair and staff of the Senate Tax Chair, I'm convinced there will be a robust discussion about a tax bill this year," Peterson said. "There are going to be a number of cities coming in with requests."
If a sales tax were to pass, a top priority would be to dedicate the dollars toward a new treatment plant for chemicals called perfluorocarbons, or PFCs, originating from firefighting foams found near Bemidji's water wells. The new treatment plant will cost an estimated $16.3 million, according to estimates.
While funding may be available through a 2020 bonding bill from the Legislature, though, the local share is still expected to be sizable. As a result, the city is hoping for relief through the sales tax option.
The situation is similar for the future of the city's wastewater treatment plant. The city is applying for a new permit from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. Future permits could include requirements for the city to start treating for ammonia and nitrogen, meaning new equipment estimated at close to $10 million would be needed.
District 5A Rep. John Persell, DFL-Bemidji, who attended Monday's meeting, said Bemidji has a good argument this session when it comes to its water issues
"I think the treatment plant for drinking water is unique," Persell said. "I certainly would make the argument that 3M (which produced the foams) should be paying for this, and ultimately, I believe they will. It's not going to come in time for the mandate that you all are getting from the Department of Health, though. So, I think in this situation, you're showing that you're mandated to do this. I think the argument can be a strong one for accomplishing this."
State statute also allows sales tax dollars to go toward capital projects and the rehabilitation of structures, according to Peterson. As a result, a portion of the sales tax could also be directed to the Sanford Center.
For 2019, the city authorized an $860,000 investment in capital needs at the city-owned event center. Sanford Center staff have informed the city about future needs for the 10-year-old building that will come to hundreds of thousands of dollars.
At the end of Monday's meeting, the council directed city staff to evaluate the amount of money needed from the projects, and research how much time would be needed on them, as sales taxes have a sunset date. According to Peterson, a sales tax proposal must be approved by the city by Jan. 31.
If the sales tax proposal would be successful at the Legislature, voters would be able to vote on each of the three uses of the tax separately.
The Legislature is scheduled to convene on Tuesday, Feb. 11.
CITY OF BEMIDJI
BEMIDJI CITY COUNCIL
Government and Politics Nov 26th 2019 - 2pm
Bemidji explores hiring lobbyist for 2020 Legislature
Government and Politics Oct 18th 2019 - 1pm
Council ponders special use tax request to state Legislature


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Divers recover U.S.S. Monitor turret
On this day in 2002, the rusty iron gun turret of the U.S.S. Monitor broke from the water and into the daylight for the first time in 140 years. The ironclad warship was raised from the floor of the Atlantic, where it had rested since it went down in a storm off Cape Hatteras, North Carolina, during the Civil War. Divers had been working for six weeks to bring it to the surface.
Nine months before sinking into its watery grave, the Monitor had been part of a revolution in naval warfare. On March 9, 1862, it dueled to a standstill with the C.S.S. Virginia (originally the C.S.S. Merrimack) in one of the most famous moments in naval history–the first time two ironclads faced each other in a naval engagement. During the battle, the two ships circled one another, jockeying for position as they fired their guns. The cannon balls simply deflected off the iron ships. In the early afternoon, the Virginia pulled back to Norfolk. Neither ship was seriously damaged, but the Monitor effectively ended the short reign of terror that the Confederate ironclad had brought to the Union navy.
Designed by Swedish engineer John Ericsson, the Monitor had an unusually low profile, rising from the water only 18 inches. The flat iron deck had a 20-foot cylindrical turret rising from the middle of the ship; the turret housed two 11-inch Dahlgren guns. The shift had a draft of less than 11 feet so it could operate in the shallow harbors and rivers of the South. It was commissioned on February 25, 1862, and arrived at Chesapeake Bay just in time to engage the Virginia.
After the famous duel, the Monitor provided gun support on the James River for George B. McClellan's Peninsular Campaign. By December 1862, it was clear the ship was no longer needed in Virginia, so she was sent to Beaufort, North Carolina, to join a fleet being assembled for an attack on Charleston. The Monitor served well in the sheltered waters of Chesapeake Bay, but the heavy, low-slung ship was a poor craft for the open sea. The U.S.S. Rhode Island towed the ironclad around the rough waters of Cape Hatteras. As the Monitor pitched and swayed in the rough seas, the caulking around the gun turret loosened and water began to leak into the hull. More leaks developed as the journey continued. High seas tossed the craft, causing the ship's flat armor bottom to slap the water. Each roll opened more seams, and by nightfall on December 30, the Monitor was in dire straits.
That evening, the Monitor's commander, J.P. Bankhead, signaled the Rhode Island that he wished to abandon ship. The wooden side-wheeler pulled as close as safety allowed to the stricken ironclad, and two lifeboats were lowered to retrieve the crew. Many of the sailors were rescued, but some men were terrified to venture onto the deck in such rough seas. The ironclad's pumps stopped working, and the ship sank before 16 of its crew members could be rescued. The remains of two of these sailors were discovered by divers during the Monitor's 2002 reemergence.
Many of the ironclad's artifacts are now on display at the Mariners' Museum in Newport News, Virginia.
https://www.history.com/this-day-in-history/divers-recover-u-s-s-monitor-turret
Reagan fires 11,359 air-traffic controllers
On August 5, 1981, President Ronald Reagan begins firing 11,359 air-traffic controllers striking in violation of his order for them to return to work. The executive action, regarded as extreme by many, significantly slowed air travel for months. Two days earlier, on August 3, ...read more
First transatlantic telegraph cable completed
After several unsuccessful attempts, the first telegraph line across the Atlantic Ocean is completed, a feat accomplished largely through the efforts of American merchant Cyrus West Field. The telegraph was first developed by Samuel F. B. Morse, an artist-turned-inventor who ...read more
Marilyn Monroe is found dead
On August 5, 1962, movie actress Marilyn Monroe is found dead in her home in Los Angeles. She was discovered lying nude on her bed, face down, with a telephone in one hand. Empty bottles of pills, prescribed to treat her depression, were littered around the room. After a brief ...read more
Hundreds of Jews are freed from forced labor in Warsaw
On this day in 1944, Polish insurgents liberate a German forced-labor camp in Warsaw, freeing 348 Jewish prisoners, who join in a general uprising against the German occupiers of the city. As the Red Army advanced on Warsaw in July, Polish patriots, still loyal to their ...read more
German assault on Liege begins first battle of World War I
On August 5, 1914, the German army launches its assault on the city of Liege in Belgium, violating the latter country's neutrality and beginning the first battle of World War I. By August 4, the German 1st, 2nd and 3rd Armies—some 34 divisions of men—were in the process of ...read more
NBA merges with ABA
On this day in 1976, the National Basketball Association (NBA) merges with its rival, the American Basketball Association (ABA), and takes on the ABA's four most successful franchises: the Denver Nuggets, the Indiana Pacers, the New York (later New Jersey) Nets and the San ...read more
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Lincoln imposes first federal income tax
On this day in 1861, Lincoln imposes the first federal income tax by signing the Revenue Act. Strapped for cash with which to pursue the Civil War, Lincoln and Congress agreed to impose a 3 percent tax on annual incomes over $800. As early as March 1861, Lincoln had begun to take ...read more
Art, Literature, and Film History
American Bandstand goes national
Television, rock and roll and teenagers. In the late 1950s, when television and rock and roll were new and when the biggest generation in American history was just about to enter its teens, it took a bit of originality to see the potential power in this now-obvious combination. ...read more
Risky Business debuts, launches Cruise to stardom
On this day in 1983, the comedy Risky Business, starring Tom Cruise in a breakout performance, opens in U.S. theaters. In the film, Cruise played Joel Goodsen, a suburban Chicago teen who has a series of misadventures when his parents go out of town and leave him home alone. ...read more
Mother charged with smothering her eight children
On August 5, 1998, Marie Noe, age 70, is arrested at her Philadelphia home and charged in the smothering deaths of eight of her children, who died between 1949 and 1968. Each of the eight infants was reportedly healthy at birth, but later died when home alone with Noe. At the ...read more
Nuclear Test Ban Treaty signed
Representatives of the United States, the Soviet Union, and Great Britain sign the Nuclear Test Ban Treaty, which prohibited the testing of nuclear weapons in outer space, underwater, or in the atmosphere. The treaty was hailed as an important first step toward the control of ...read more
Union scores a victory at the Battle of Mobile Bay
On this day in 1864, at the Battle of Mobile Bay, Union Admiral David Farragut leads his flotilla through the Confederate defenses at Mobile, Alabama, to seal one of the last major Southern ports. The fall of Mobile Bay was a huge blow to the Confederacy, and the victory was the ...read more
Inventions & Science
First electric traffic signal installed
The world's first electric traffic signal is put into place on the corner of Euclid Avenue and East 105th Street in Cleveland, Ohio, on this day in 1914. In the earliest days of the automobile, navigating America's roads was a chaotic experience, with pedestrians, bicycles, ...read more

redpajama_set_name: RedPajamaCommonCrawl


During those same years, the baseball diamond at , where the boys play, was getting a $4 million makeover. Today, the boys relish the park's covered dugouts and manicured outfields. College scouts regularly attend games to watch them play. The news media has touted the park's transformation from a bustling open-air drug market to one of the most beautiful fields in the country.
To donate to the Camden softball league, visit their page.
This story originally appeared in the April 2019 issue of Landcruisers.


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Man who spat at police in Derry said he had COVID
Tributes paid to popular Derry teacher Sean O'Kane
Car crashes through garden fence and strikes bedroom wall in Derry
A local councillor has said it is lucky nobody was killed or seriously injured when a car crashed into a house in Derry at the weekend.
By Kevin Mullan
Councillor Brian Tierney at the scene.
Significant damage was caused to a home in the Oakgrove area, off the Lenamore Road, when a vehicle careened through the garden fence and struck a wall.
SDLP Councillor for the area Brian Tierney said it is the second time a car has hit a house in the area within the space of five years.
"It's extremely lucky that nobody was seriously injured or killed during this incident when a car came off the road, crashed through a fence and into this house causing significant damage to the building and emotional distress to the residents. The car crashed right into the bedroom with residents in the property and this was a very close call," he said.
Damage that was caused to the house
Colr. Tierney said it's not the first time a crash of this type has occurred.
"Unbelievably this is the second incident of this nature within the last five years and we can't afford to see another one."
He said action is needed to keep motorists, pedestrians and local residents safe.
"I visited with the residents affected on Monday and it's fair to say they are still shaken as a result of this incident. Their garden is destroyed and their home is damaged and they are living in fear that this could happen to them for a third time. I've assured them myself and my SDLP colleagues will do all we can to highlight this issue and get measures put in place to ensure we never see a repeat of this terrifying crash."
Brian TierneyDerrySDLPTierney


As a membership application to join FIFA, Kiribati's performance at this month's Pacific Games must rank a dismal failure.
The Pacific islands have been trying to join FIFA for some time and a performance in New Caledonia that included not one but two 17-1 defeats seems unlikely to help a much-delayed application that finally appeared to be showing signs of succeeding.
Back in 2007, FIFA said that Kiribati was "in the formal process of admission but we expect them to withdraw their request in the coming months." Ioteba Redfern, the president of the Kiribati Islands Football Association (KIFA), quickly denied any volte face but when Kiribati failed to take part in the 2007 Pacific Games football tournament, the membership bid trailed off. There was little sign of any subsequent progress until, at the behest of former Football Association chairman Geoff Thompson, FIFA set up a small nations working group to look into the cases of potential members. The working group categorised potential members into three groups from independent states to politically sensitive applicants.
With the agenda set, the 2011 Pacific Games were a chance for FIFA's potentially newest member to show what could be achieved on the pitch. The I-Kiribati – as the islanders are known – first entered the Pacific Games in 1979, losing 13-0 to Papua New Guinea and 24-0 to Fiji. Kiribati's only other appearance in a tournament with a five decade history was 2003, when losses included a 12-0 defeat to Fiji and an 18-0 savaging by Vanuatu.
With the FIFA application finally moving forward, New Caledonia 2011 was a new dawn and an opening 9-0 defeat to Fiji was an improvement. The Cook Islands edged past the I-Kiribati 3-0 and in their next match, Karotu Bakaae even scored; the problem was the 17 goals that went past Kiribati's keeper Tiion Miika. Miika was dropped. Tongalua Akori took over in goal for the final group game against Tahiti and another new face drafted into the starting XI, Erene, Bakineti, even scored but Akori also let in 17 goals.
Having started so promisingly, Kiribati fell apart and their performance provided a stark and embarrassing contrast to the effort by neighbours Tuvalu. Although beaten 5-1 by Vanuatu, 6-1 by the Solomon Islands and 8-0 by the hosts, Tuvalu took points off two full FIFA members, thrashing American Samoa 4-0 and drawing 1-1 with Guam. Perhaps Kiribati's performance in New Caledonia will make FIFA realise the KIFA really need some help? Or maybe the woeful showing will convince FIFA that its search for a 209th member might be better focused on Kiribati's more adept neighbours Tuvalu, leaving the I-Kiribati stuck on the touchlines for even longer?
Steve is author of the excellent 'Outcasts! The Lands That FIFA Forgot' which you can read more about here and buy here.


Church Street Marketplace, Burlington, Friday, November 23, Noon.
The holiday season is rough on parents. On the one hand, they've got their children's remarkably well-informed "wish lists" to consider. On the other, they've got global warming and safety hazards. Was that toy made in China? Think of the emissions between there and the local store! Oh, and what were those lead-tainted toys again? How can one be sure they were all recalled?
Even if conscientious moms and dads feel like they should buy carbon credits alongside that Fisher-Price Smart Cycle, Nintendo Wii or iCat, the environment was probably not on their minds at last Friday's Santa Claus Parade in downtown Burlington. It was hard enough just keeping track of the hyper-excited kids, and making sure they weren't crushed under the slow-moving wheels of the train that made its way from City Hall to the mall. (No, no reindeer in sight.) Word has it that Santa himself was outsourced this year - from Florida, according to an employee of WPTZ, which delivered the Fat Man to Church Street. But none of the hundreds of tots and their parents knew, or would have cared if they did. After all, we're talking Santa.
And neither age nor disbelief could dampen the enthusiasm. Grownups gawked and grinned. Jaded teenagers exclaimed, "Is that Santa?!" Or maybe it's just that everyone loves a parade. In any case, by the time the train arrived at the Burlington Town Center, the crowd was thick - even if half of it was under 3 feet tall. Most of the stroller-and-snuggly masses descended the escalator so that their children could participate in the annual ritual: standing not-so-patiently in line and, eventually, sitting shyly on the lap of Old St. Nick to share their heart's desires. The rest of us just went shopping.


The Rose Garden Neighborhood Association's Full (Neighborhood-wide) Annual Meeting covers a full agenda of relevant topics to our West End neighborhood, including a recap of some of the activities completed, projects currently underway, updates on our association web site and great upcoming events. Jim Harbaugh is our guest speaker and will give us an overview of the hockey arena project in center city Allentown.
We encourage you to bring along neighbors who are both members or who haven't yet signed on to the RGNA. No RSVP is required.